The Aquijo sailing yacht is an exceptional team work.

The Aquijo yacht is the largest two-masted sailboat in the world or better said to be the largest ketch in the world. Aquijo built in 2016 was the result of an amazing team work starting from the designers from the two major Dutch shipyards, who got together for this great project, ending up with the Master Yacht Management company, which offers management and supervision for the construction of yachts on behalf of the owners.

The owner of this mega yacht is now the fourth richest man in Norway with an estimated net worth of 2.6 billion dollars, a majority shareholder of Aker Solutions and already known to fans for being the owner of Aglaia sold in 2014 The owner required a cruising yacht with great autonomy to explore the world in safety, comfort and speed. Clearly these characteristics have defined the guidelines of the development and construction of the project and at the end an adequate balance between safety, comfort and performance have determined an excellent result and immediately the first acknowledgments of this work have arrived, in fact Aquijo was awarded at the World Superyacht Awards 2017 for the best naval architecture.

Aquijo is 85.9 meters long and 14.48 meters wide and is characterized as ketch due to the presence of two 92 meter carbon fiber trees each built by Southern Spares, a company specializing in the construction of trees, arms and rigging, currently the most high in the world.

The architecture and the exterior design bear the signature of the important Bill Tripp founder of Tripp Design Naval Architecture, where he works a team of naval architects and engineers specialized in the design of modern yachts that operate in total harmony with the philosophy of the founder designer that is to create very efficient yachts that combine style and comfort with speed and safety. The luxurious and elegant and comfortable interiors have been designed by Dölker + Voges, and furnished through research into materials that ensure the highest quality standards.

But the real news for this yacht is that two of the biggest names in world shipbuilding for the first time together have worked and worked closely together offering each of them all the experience, knowledge and skills acquired over the years in the construction of yachts to make this truly unique project Who knows if in the future we can repeat a new collaborative commitment of this quality we are talking about the two Dutch shipyards of Vitters Shipyard and Oceanco. In truth this collaboration is also born for specific technical problems. In fact, first of all, the Vitters Shipyard was called upon for the realization of the project because of its worldwide expertise in the construction of high performance sailing yachts, but never having built a large yacht, the largest built it stopped at 60 meters, it was requested the collaboration to another Dutch shipyard Oceanico that boasts more experience in the construction of yachts over 80 meters so this union was born between the two sites for this extraordinary project.

Aquijo has an unsurpassed sailing ability, it is a yacht with exceptional performance even with weak winds with its sail plan of more than 5000 square meters planted, to be safe, reliable and easy to manage and for this new winches have been designed and developed with a range of 40 tons.

A particularity of this yacht is the presence of an innovative wheelhouse system that is able to return the wheel feeling to the helmsman just as if it were on a smaller sailboat and the response of the boat is immediate despite its large size. Another innovation is the presence of a submarine anchorage system located in the lower part of the hull that offers improved performance and aesthetics. The system with a chain and is still in a locker with automatic opening and closing when the closing door is closed, it integrates perfectly with the hull.

Therefore Aquijo is not a motor yacht disguised as a sailing ship, it is a yacht that truly sails sailing unlike many others. The aluminum hull has an aerodynamically optimized superstructure to minimize the boundaries between the internal social spaces and the external areas of the bridge.

The exterior has a clean and minimal style while the interiors have ample spaces cleverly divided and furnished with modern style.

“The interior design is contemporary and elegant, but fresh and natural,” says Robert Voges. “Clear and logical lines, pure materials, simplicity and great attention to detail.” Wood and stainless steel are used freely within Aquijo, playing an important role in reflecting the yacht’s sailing character, a specific request from the owner. “

“Stainless steel is one of the noblest materials,” says Voges. “Use in the right way allows for an exciting interaction between light, reflections and interior design, creating a sophisticated and modern atmosphere.”

On explicit request the owner’s suite was located separately from the other cabins on the upper side aft deck with a rear-facing bedroom offering stunning 270 degree views with a sliding door opening onto a private outdoor deck equipped with a bar, dining room and relaxation area. This particular suite with a large personal area above the main deck required the addition of an extra deck that is not normally located on a sailboat.

It’s a great place to wake up, says the owner of the Aquijo. “Sailboats and a view from the inside do not normally go together, but when you electrically open the big blinds and the curtains and you find yourself surrounded by that sparkling sea you absorb the feeling of sea freedom. Even from the guest cabins, you have a great view of the sea, “he says.

The main living room and the dining room are located on the main deck while on the lower deck there is a hot tub a steam room and sauna with access via a sliding door to a swim platform.

On the lower deck there are also 6 guest cabins, each with its own private bathroom. Following the trend also in some luxury motor yachts, two cabins can be connected to each other to create a large suite with a separate living room and a sleeping area. Obviously there are also crew quarters for up to 18 members. Below deck there is space to park cars, dinghies and more.

Ultimately, AQuijo in addition to being the high performance ketch the largest in the world is also a comfortable luxury sailing yacht nothing to envy to the most modern luxury motor yachts. A surprising team work has allowed us to realize a true marvel of the sea, surely a big credit goes to the owner who managed to build this team and above all to make the two Dutch world-class shipyards work together for this project.

The mission of this boat is to explore the world in safety, comfort and speed, “says the owner. “We will sail for some distant places.” “My dream is to carry it around South America”,. “The people surrounding Cape Horn are a special breed among sailors”.